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Author Notes: In prime tomato season there are more cherry tomatoes than you know what to do with. This is a foolproof tomato tart. It borrows the crust from Food52's Summer Heirloom Tomato Tart and the ricotta paste from Caprese Tart. The key move is to pre-dehydrate the tomatoes to prevent sogginess. —Eric Liftin

Serves 8 small portions

The crust

2teaspoons finely chopped basil leaves

1teaspoon salt

2cups flour

5tablespoons butter

1/4cup olive oil

1/4cup ice water

many super ripe cherry tomatoes

First cut all the cherry tomatoes in half, equatorially. Arrange them in a layer, cut side up, in a baking pan. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 275º while preparing the crust.

Mix together basil, salt, and flour. Mix in oil and butter until dough is coarse lumps.

Using a fork, mix in the water until the dough is pliable and smooth.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least ½ hour.

Press dough into tart pan with your fingers in a uniform, thin layer.

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for ½ hour. Check to see if the tomatoes have started to dehydrate. You don't want fully roasted or dried, just to lose excess water. Remove the tomatoes and set aside. Preheat oven to 375.

Prebake tart shell. Lightly cover top of shell with foil, fill with dried beans or rice, and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove foil with rice/beans, prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork, and return to oven for another 5 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Completing the tart

2tablespoons freshly grated parmesan

1cup whole-milk ricotta

1 egg

olive oil for drizzling

salt and pepper

Mix together in a bowl the cheeses and egg with salt and pepper. This can be done by hand whisk or food processor. You may add a couple of tablespoons of pine nuts if you like and you're using the food processor.

spread the paste evenly in the crust. Lay in the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Place in the oven and cook until lightly browned, around 30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

I just saw this, and I'm just in from my garden, wondering what to do with a cherry tomato plant so laden it looks like its about to fall over. We have a great buffalo ricotta here I'm going to use for this. Than for great-looking recipe!